Canadian horse-breeding duo sets sights on winner's circle at Kentucky Derby

At Saturday’s running of the 150^th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, a Canadian father and daughter horse-breeding duo is once again hoping to see one of their homegrown colts make it into the winner’s circle.

Langley, BC native John Gunther, along with his daughter Tanya, own and operate Glennwood Farm in Versailles, Kentucky. The 350-acre property is considered a “boutique breeding operation” in the thoroughbred world and has become well known for raising championship horses, such as 2018 Kentucky Derby winner ‘Justify’ and 2019 Breeder’s Cup Classic champion ‘Vino Rosso’.

When the 20-horse field enters the starting gate in Louisville for what many call “the greatest two minutes in sports”, the Gunthers will have yet another homebred being showcased on the global stage. ‘Grand Mo The First’ has qualified for the Kentucky Derby as a “late entry” following scratches to multiple horses the last few weeks. Despite seeing the colt having longshot morning line odds of 50-1, Gunther knows anything is possible once the horses hit the track.

“There are some very tough horses in there and it will be very competitive,” Gunther said this week from his home about 30 minutes outside of Vancouver. “I liked the way ‘Grand Mo The First’ ran in both the Tampa Bay Derby and Florida Derby, which are both run on tricky tracks. I think he may run better at Churchill on a better dirt surface as he’s just coming into his own.”

Those prep races Gunther alluded to saw ‘Grand Mo The First’ finish third place in both, helping him earn a total of 40 qualifying points for Derby weekend. Since its debut running at Gulfstream Park in August of last year, the three-year-old has been raced six times, posting two victories & four straight third-place finishes — good enough for earnings more than $214,000 US. Gunther feels his homebred leaving from post position No. 16 may not be amongst the early leaders on Saturday but could easily find itself closing strong down the final few furlongs.

“I think there’s going to be quite a bit of speed in the race and [looking at his previous races] he will definitely be a closer coming well off the pace,” adds Gunther. “If there’s going to be a horse that can close from behind, he’s certainly capable of getting on the board.”

‘Grand Mo The First’ is not the only horse the Gunther family will be cheering on at Churchill Downs on Derby week. Friday’s main event is the Kentucky Oaks, one North America’s top races for three-year-old fillies. ‘Leslie’s Rose’ was bred at Glenwood and has run just four times under Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. Three of those races have been wins, including a convincing performance in early April at the Ashland Stakes at Keenland.

“She’s probably one of the best fillies we’ve ever bred,” Gunther says of ‘Leslie’s Rose’ who is the second betting Oaks favourite at 4-1. “Having a couple of our horses run in these major races in the United States can hopefully make it a great feeling for fellow Canadian fans of the sport.”

The Gunther family has been in the horse racing industry on both sides of the border for decades, but they rose to prominence seven years ago when their homebred ‘Justify’ not only won the Kentucky Derby but went on to become just the 13^th winner of the Triple Crown series (winning both the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes afterwards). Having retired from racing that year, the Hall-of-Fame horse has since sired numerous thoroughbreds on other farms, including two entries in this year’s Derby field (‘Just Steel’ and ‘Just A Touch’) as well as the Oaks (‘Just F Y I’).

“Once again, I can thank my daughter for putting Glenwood Farm on the map,” Gunther says. “Tanya worked in investment banking in London, England for 10 years before leaving to pursue her passion of breeding horses. ‘Justify’ is turning out to be an international sire at the highest level. It’s all been amazing just thinking about that horse and what it’s accomplished for us.  

“It’s really something special to have another one of our horses get into the starting gate at the Kentucky Derby,” says Gunther, whose family has now bred seven horses to run in the event over the last two decades. “Now if we can breed a Kentucky Oaks winner, that would really be icing on the cake.”             

Worth noting …

— ‘Fierceness’ was a champion juvenile in 2023 and will get plenty of attention running over the 1-and-¼ mile distance Saturday. Having earned more than $1.6 million for owner/breeder Mike Repole, ‘Fierceness’ is the early betting favourite with odds of 5-2. Hall-of-Fame jockey John Velazquez will be in the saddle searching for his fourth Derby win.

— ‘Sierra Leone’ is expected by many to make a strong case to finish in the winner’s circle. Having won back-to-back Derby prep races, the colt earned 155 qualifying points, the most of any horse in the race. Chad Brown trains ‘Sierra Leone’ and is searching for his first ever Kentucky Derby victory.

— If ever a horse based outside of North America had a shot at winning the Derby, it could come in the form of ‘Forever Young’. Bred in Japan and trained by internationally renowned horseman Yoshito Yahagi, ‘Forever Young’ is a perfect 5-for-5 in his career. Holding morning line odds of 10-1 and coming off back-to-back wins earlier this year at the Saudi Derby and UAE Derby in Dubai, ‘Forever Young’ is the only undefeated horse in this year’s field.

— Trainer Brad Cox will have three separate entries set to leave the starting gate in Saturday’s race. The Louisville native has ‘Catching Freedom’ which earned the third most qualifying points for this year’s Derby, as well as ‘Just A Touch’ and ‘Encino’. Cox’s horses have already surpassed over $7.9 million US in winnings in 2024, making him the second-leading trainer in North America.